Page 76 of Alex

Adam slams his hands on the table. “Enough fucking around. Are we doing this or not?”

“Deal ‘em up.” I lean back and finish off my can of soda, tossing the can toward the trash can in the corner of the room. It hits the rim and falls inside.

Bianca cheers for me, causing my grin to permanently etch itself on my face. Adam glances at her and scowls.

He shuffles the deck of cards and deals them.

My first card is a ten of diamonds. His card is an eight of clubs.

Adam deals out the second card, giving me a queen of spades and giving himself a king of hearts.

Since there’s no more betting, Adam deals out the flop, turn, and river all in one go. I guess he’s eager to get this over and done with and find out who gets Bianca.

I stare at the cards for a second before glancing at his cards. Standing up, I motion for Bianca to come to me.

“Full house. Ladies over tens.” I won the money, drugs, booze, and Bianca.

Adam fumes but doesn’t stand.

“Damn, that’s some bad luck there. Better luck next time, dick.”

Adam stands up so fast his seat skids across the floor before tipping over. The crash echoes in the nearly empty room.

He’s seething. “Your daddy won’t be able to protect you much longer. You’ll get what you deserve. Mark my words.”

Bianca shoots him a sympathetic look before walking into my outstretched arms. I turn my head and press my lips against hers.

Partly because I want to know what she tastes like, and partly because I want to piss Adam off even more than he already is.

Her kiss is stiff and hesitant, but when my hand reaches around and grips the back of her neck, she lets go and gives into the kiss.

I pull back from the kiss just long enough to look atAdam and say, “Take your little baggie of drugs and get out of here.”

His eyes darken with hatred as he shoots daggers my way, but he picks up the bag of drugs and hands it over to the waitress behind the bar, who has been eyeing the drugs all along.

Her face lights up like he just gave her a million dollars. She immediately pours the cocaine out and does a line right on the bar top.

It looks bigger than most lines that my friends do, but I don’t say anything. Not my girl, not my problem.

I pick up the cash, putting it in my pockets before wrapping my arm around Bianca’s waist and walking out the door.

No one bats an eye at the sight of Bianca in my arms. Why would they? They probably know what happens during the high stake poker games.

Hell, there’s probably been worse to happen at one of the games.

At least this time there weren’t any shots fired. Nor were there any fights. It was all pretty civil.

I grin as I feel like I just conquered the world.

Shaking my head, I rub my temples and try to get rid of those memories. They don’t matter anymore. The only woman I want is Elise, and she’s looking at me as if I were the devil himself.

Elise’s disgusted expression confuses me. It’s only when her neighbor raises his eyebrow at me and grins that I realize I must have told Elise the entire story while it was playing out in my head.

I can see the revulsion in her eyes at the highstakes poker game. There were no rules for betting. It was completely free for all. After all, it wasn’t about the money.

It hardly ever is.

I reach out for Elise, but she pulls away so quickly that I stumble. “Please, Elise, let me explain.”

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